Bacon causes cancer

Washington: You may want to drop that bacon now as a recent study has revealed that processed meats cause cancer.

A girl eating bacon

The World Health Organisation is reportedly planning to declare that bacon, sausages and other processed meat cause cancer, The Independent reported.

The NHS Choices website says that evidence shows that there is probably a link between eating red and processed meat and the risk of bowel cancer. People who eat a lot of these meats are at higher risk of bowel cancer than those who eat small amounts.

However it says beef, lamb and pork can form part of a healthy diet and that red meat is a good source of protein and provides vitamins and minerals, such as iron and zinc.

Farmers and the meat industry have expressed concern about the impact on sales if the WHO lists processed meat as a carcinogen.

Betsy Booren, of the North American Meat Institute, said recently that if they determine that red and processed meat causes cancer, it could take decades and billions of dollars to change that.